Enhancing a wine's aroma or bouquet?

After 5 years of amateur winemaking, I've gotten to the point where my wines are virtually all "passable", with an occasional batch turning out great. But the one quality that I have trouble with is the wine's aroma or bouquet. Many of my wines just don't smell like much of anything. Is this just a function of the grapes that I get? Is there anything that can be done during the whole winemaking process to enhance (or at least not lose) a wine's aroma?

By the way, most of the grapes that I get here in Maryland are either sold by a wholesaler in September or October and come from California, or are shipped frozen from Brehm.

Thanks,

Lee

Reply to
Lee
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Lee, Bouquet usually comes about through aging in bottle. How long are you aging your wine? Are you aging in a Barrel? Barrel aging usually helps in the aroma. I have found that blends usually have the best bouquet. I especially like a Cabernet Franc - Merlot blend.

I also live in Maryland - about 15 miles West of Frederick. I can point you to some sources for grapes near where I live if you are interested.

Reply to
Paul E. Lehmann

Lee - What are the grapes? Hard to comment if I don't know what you are making. There are enzymes that will hasten the release of aroma compounds. Read up on AR2000. Check it out on

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and talk to the company about it's use. They are very helpful. But beware, use of these type enzymes will change a wine's characteristics pretty quick so you have to prepared to stop the enzyme action when you have achieved the aroma enhancement you want.

Bill Frazier Olathe, Kansa USA

Reply to
William Frazier

I just started making some wine at home, and would be interested in juice/grape sources. I live in Frederick, and would appreciate any help you can give.

Thanks Jim

Reply to
James Brozek

It's surprising what you said about bouquet coming from bottle aging. I have no reason to disagree, and I'll look for that. Generally, I'm drinking my wines within 6-8 months of bottling the reds and even sooner with the whites.

In Maryland, I've gotten some grapes via a guy with the last name of Hamilton, who lives in Mt. Airy. His grapes were hit or miss, with the chamboucin awful, but the chardonnay pretty good. If you know of other sources, I'd be grateful.

Lee

Reply to
Lee

My lack of aroma seems to be non-grape specific. I just wonder how it is that when you stick your nose into a glass of reasonably priced commercial wine, you can usually smell "something". On mine, it's far more subtle, which is a polite way of saying that it doesn't smell like much of anything.

Lee

Reply to
Lee

Here is a list of places. My name should have been deleted from Windham Winery in Northern Virginia. I no longer work there. Hope this helps. I get some grapes from Dick Penn every year (Washington County). His grapes are very good.

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Reply to
Paul E. Lehmann

That's a technical distinction between aroma - fruity smells that develop through fermentation and bulk aging - and bouquet - smells that are results of longer aging in bottle (eg., petrol in Riesling, leather in Syrah, etc.). I think the original issue was about a general lack/low level of smell (aroma or bouquet)...? If yes, I've also noticed this in comparison to good commercial wines. So far my limited observations suggest that wines from juice or concentrate are more lacking in this respect than wines mades from grapers (or fruit) - which does make sense as skins contain aromatic compounds.

Other than that, better quality grapes/juice will typically mean better wine quality, including aroma/bouquet.

Pp

Reply to
pp

With white wines and to a lesser degree red wines, the fermentation temperature plays a role in the "nose" of a wine. Whites are often fermented down at 40 F to retain the fruit characteristics. Note this temperature by itself is often too low for yeast to work well, but the temperature is increased once the yeast kicks off (exothermic) and starts growing, so ambient can be at 40 F and the wine itself a bit higher (most yeasts don't tolerate less than 45F and continue to ferment well).

Also, whites are fermented with clarified juice and are not allowed to have a cap that is punched down daily, further restricting the oxidation of fruit flavors.

Read the different types of yeast descriptions, some of them are recommended over others if one is trying to develop aroma, nose, boquet, etc.

food for thought

Reply to
woodwerks

I learned a lot as a kid from a winemaker on the other side of the Stonehenge of Latour, at a 5th growth label, but still in the classic of the French winemaking.

We made many potions of flower arrangements that we immerged, and then later doled out in various bathes, to get that special lilac bouquet. But in the end I too believe that the base of the great bouquet noticed came from the grapes we used.

SG Brix

Reply to
sgbrix

Are you saying that it is common practice in Bordeaux to augment the natural grape flavors and aromas with flower extracts? I'd suspected as much for quite awhile, but never seen anyone admit to it in print.

Not that there's anything wrong about it. If it improves the wine, who cares?

Tom S

Reply to
Tom S

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